Lonely Hearted
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day 25 - Rachel gives advice to Ken Tanaka. Mix Mash 1/9


_So the hiatus is over, I did my twenty-one ficlets and all... but I didn't want to stop ;) So I'm not! I want to see how long I can keep this up, one every day, so off we go :)_

_Also, some of them will be series, not related to one another but tied together by a common element. This first series I've called the "Mix Mash" series. I put the names of 18 Glee characters in a box, pulled them out in pairs, some odder than others, to write a ficlet over._

_Today: **Mix Mash 1 of 9: Rachel and Ken**_

* * *

**"Lonely Hearted"  
Rachel and Ken**

On days where she knew a performance was coming, Rachel had her routine down, which included arriving to school early. She liked to be able to rehearse on the actual stage, in the space where they would perform.

When she arrived in the auditorium though, she found the stage already occupied. The fact that it was occupied was by no means the cause of the stunned look on her face… it was the identity of the person on that stage, currently struggling their way through what appeared to be a waltz.

She wouldn't have believed the combination of "waltz" and "Coach Tanaka" in a single sentence if she wasn't seeing it.

She tried to back out of the auditorium before he could see her. And then… bam! Her back slammed into the wooden door. Her mouth went wide at the momentary pain… it stayed that way as she saw Coach Tanaka staring back at her. He was still holding the posture, though his eyes were darting back and forth… her eyes were struggling to find somewhere to be that would be less awkward.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't…" she started to speak, moving to get out.

"Wait!" he called and she froze, turning back nervously. He'd lowered his arms now, trying to look normal again. "You're one of Schuester's kids, from Glee Club." Rachel wasn't sure what to do, so she nodded.

"Rachel," she managed to speak.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Emma's mentioned you." She perked up for a moment, happy that people were talking about her, talking about her performance in Glee, from what he said.

When the glow of praise came back down, she started to see that the coach looked… sad? She frowned, hesitated… should she just leave, or…

Ken had begun to pace back and forth on the stage, hands on his hips, staring at his feet as he tried to remember the video he'd used as his model to learn the dance. He felt like an idiot, but he'd stand there and practice until he got it. It was for Emma.

He took a breath, nodding, getting ready to start again. When he turned, he saw Rachel coming down the aisle toward the stage. He continued to hold a strong front.

"What are you doing in here so early?" he asked, trying for authority.

"I could ask you the same thing," she spoke slowly. "Sir…" she added, realizing how she may have sounded.

"None of y…" he started, then stopped, looking down for a moment. "Forget it," he moved for the stairs. "Have the stage," he moved past her.

"Stella Rosen," he heard Rachel's voice and stopped, looking back at her.

"Sorry?" she took a step.

"Stella Rosen, she's one of my dance teachers. She might be able to help with what you need." Hope came back to him and he took a step up.

"You think so?"

"She works miracles," Rachel smiled.

"I think a miracle's what I'll need. I can shake it with the best of them, but this waltzy stuff is hard."

"Why are you doing it then?" he hesitated again. But she was helping him, so the least he could do was be honest.

"I'm getting married, Emma and I are," he added. "All of this, it's not my style, but… it makes her happy, and I really need to earn some points with her right now," he explained, his eyes not meeting hers.

"Did you… have a fight?" she asked.

"No… n-not exactly, it's… complicated," he moved for evasion again. But she was a seemingly willing ear, and he couldn't throw that away. "It took so much for me to even get her to go out with me, and I knew… I knew how she felt about Schuester…" He shook his head. "Look, never mind. You're a sweet kid, but… this isn't anything you should…"

"I know what it's like though," she volunteered. "More than you'd know," she looked down to her hands.

She wasn't going to spill the whole 'Finn and Quinn and Puck and her' drama on the football coach, especially seeing how he was connected to half of their drama square, but it didn't keep her from understanding what he was going through.

"I really think you should give Stella a call. She can help you, and… maybe it'll help you and Em… Miss Pillsbury," she gave him a nod. Ken nodded to himself, then to her.

"Yeah, yeah, I think I will."

Rachel smiled, reaching for her phone, a pen, and paper. Finding Stella's number, she copied it down and handed the paper to Coach Tanaka. He held it like it was the code to the riches of the universe.

"Thank you, thank you," he held up the paper before turning to leave. He took three steps before stopping and turning back to her. "This doesn't leave this room, okay?" he spoke in a low voice, indicating the stage.

"Absolutely, I promise," Rachel nodded.

Ken nodded, slipping the paper in his pocket as he headed out of the room. Rachel watched him go, waiting until he was gone before taking to the stage.

She didn't know what was going on, with Coach Tanaka and Miss Pillsbury, but she truly hoped they'd all find their way somehow. She hoped that for herself as well, for this whole drama to go away. She had no way to expect results at the rate things were going…

She went through her number, her energies raised by her having helped the coach, the satisfaction it had given him. When she was done, it was just time for class.

If Coach Tanaka could learn to do a waltz for Miss Pillsbury and him to connect more, she could be hopeful, take changes.

THE END


End file.
